Virtual baby shower cards: what to say when you barely know the parents

Baby shower messages written for coworkers you don't know intimately tend to collapse into the same ten phrases. "Congratulations on your new arrival." "Wishing your growing family all the best." These are fine, but nobody keeps them.

The trick, as with any card, is to find one specific true thing. You don't need to know the couple personally — you need to know one thing about them from working together. "You solve every problem at work with this calm I've always admired. That baby is very lucky." That's personal without being intimate.

If you truly have nothing, a short genuine wish still beats a longer generic one. "I don't know you well enough to have advice, but I'm genuinely happy for you" is honest and warm.